Spoon wiping attachment for a plate or the like



Feb. 18, 1958 J, BEAULIEU 2,823,406

SPOON WIPING ATTACHMENT FORA PLATE OR THE LIKE Filed July .24; 1953 INVENTOR. Raymond Joseph Beau. lieu HTTORNEY United States Patent SPOON WIPING ATTACHMENT FOR A PLATE OR THE LIKE Raymond Joseph Beaulieu, New York, N. Y.

Application July 24, 1953, Serial No. 370,045

2 Claims. (Cl. 15245) This invention relates to improvements in table accessories and the like.

An object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved table accessory, whereby dripping of food, gravy, or soup from a spoon or other article of table ware, is avoided, and substantially eliminated.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved device which is adapted for being secured to a plate or bowl, or other convenient location, so that the user may wipe from his spoon or other utensil, any overflow material accumulated thereon, and thus avoid entirely the dripping thereof onto the table, his clothing, or the table cloth, of such food, soup or the like.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved drip eliminating device which includes a major clamp assembly for attaching the same to a plate, bowl or cup, and wiping baflle means carried by the major clamp assembly, and constructed and arranged for efficiently and elfectively engaging with a spoon or the like, for wiping the same free of underdripping or surplus material such as soup, gravy, food or liquid, so that dripping from the spoon is entirely eliminated, and with great convenience to the user.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved spoon drip eliminating device in which a contoured rubber or rubber-like spoon scraping device is carried on a clamp which in turn is not only adapted for suitably holding the spoon scraping element in proper position, but is also adapted for engaging-the bowl, plate or cup in such a manner as to effectuate the objects of the use of the device.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved spoon drip eliminating device in which the base clamp means is easily attachable to a bowl, plate or the like, or detachable therefrom, with one quick movement of the hand, and which is so constructed that it not only grasps the bowl securely, but is readily detached therefrom, without any danger of breakage of the bowl.

Another'object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved spoon drip eliminator and scraper, which has its spoon scraping bafile mounted for either turning motion about its axis, or universal motion, so that its position maybe adjusted at thewill of the user, for maxi-- mum convenience, and for minimum interference with the food, soup, gravy or the like on the plate or bowl.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved spoon drip eliminating device, which is formed of a minimum of parts, and is easily taken apart and assembled, so that its parts may be cleansed thoroughly, and which is accordingly quite sanitary in use.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved spoon drip eliminating device of the character described, which is simple in design, inexpensive to: manufacture, and highly effective in use, with the utmost of convenience and freedom from worry about possible spilling or dripping of fluid foods, such as soup, gravy and the like onto the clothing.

'ice.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof, and in which,

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of my novel spoon wiping and drip preventing device, as seen from the left end of Figure 2.

Figure 2 is a right side elevational view of the spoon drip preventing device as seen in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional elevational view taken substantially on plane 3-3 of Figure 2.'

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the device shown in Figure 2, indicating in broken lines the plate with which the same is engageable.

Figure 5 is a side elevational view similar to that of Figure 2, but showing a modified form of the invention, which is particularly adaptable for engagement with a soup plate with upturned brim, or the like, the view indicating in broken lines in fragment, the brim of the soup bowl for engagement therewith.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary side elevational view, similar to that of Figure 2, but showing another modified form of the invention, with swivel mounting, the view being partly broken out and sectioned to illustrate the construction.

Figure 7 is a top plan view in fragment, of the device of Figure 6, mounted on the brim or rim of a plate, and indicating in full and broken lines, various angular positions of the wiping blade mounting.

When eating, it frequently happens that soup or other fluid foods accumulate on the underside of a spoon or the like, and drip off onto the top of the table, the table cloth, or even onto the clothing, necktie, dress or shirt or trousers of the diner. This is very annoying, and the present invention is intended to make it substantially impossible, by permitting the diner to wipe off the underside of his eating utensil, such as a soup spoon, or gravy spoon, or the like, on a specially constructed wiper with an upturned resilient blade, which is carried removably right on the plate or soup bowl. As a result, the person may hold his head erect while eating, without fear of splashing soup or other fluid foods onto his clothing or the table, and other advantages are apparent.

In order to understand clearly the nature of the invention, and the best means for carrying it out, reference may now be had to the drawings, in which like numerals denote similar parts throughout the several views.

As shown, there is a spoon drip eliminator and wiper device generally indicated at 10 in Figures 1 to 4, at 10b in the modified form shown in Figure 5, and at in the modified form shown in Figures 6 and 7. Referring to Figures 1 to 4, it is seen that there is a plate clamp member or grip 12, with upper and lower clamp bodies 14 and 16. The upper clamp body 14 has a top wall 18 formed of sheet metal, plastic material, or the like, with side flanges 20 and 22 depending therefrom and integral therewith preferably. Bearing lugs or extensions of the flanges, as at 24 and 26 extend downwardly from the flanges 20 and 22. The lower clamp body 16 also has a bottom wall or web 28 formed of sheet metal or plastic material, and may have upstanding side flanges 30 and 32 integral with the edges thereof, with upstanding bearing lugs or flange extensions or ears 34 and 36 extending upwardly from and integral with the side flanges 30 and 32.

The dimensions or Width of the upper clamp body 14 is somewhat wider than that of the lower clamp body 16, as seen best in Figure 3, to allow the upstanding ears 34 and 36 of the lower clamp body 16 to extend between the depending ears 24 and 26 of the upper clamp body 14 when in mutually overlapping positions. A pivot pin 40 extends through bearing holes 42 and 44 formed in the ears 24 and 26 of the upper clamp body, and also extends through bearing holes 46 and 48 formed through the ears 34 and 36 of the lower clamp body as seen best in Figure 3, to hold the upper and lower clamp bodies in engagement for movement about the pivot axis of pivot pin 40. A coil spring 50 has its coils extending around the interior portion of the pivot pin 40, as seen best in Figure 3, and has one spring end leg 52 hearing against the inner surface of top wall 18 of the upper clamp, and has its other spring end leg 54 bearing against the inner surface of the bottom wall 28 of the lower clamp member 16. From Figure 2 it is seen that since this spring is arranged as mentioned, its outer legs 52 and 54 exert resilient bias so as to spread the finger legs 60 and 62 in the respective directions of the arrows 64 and 66, that is, apart, thus tending to bring the clamping legs 68 and 70 toward each other, in compressment orclamping upon anything inserted therebetween, such as a plate rim 72, to clamp firmly thereon. To avoid scratching or otherwise damaging such plate rim 72, or also'to avoid slippage, rubber or rubberlike jaw blocks or cushions 74 and 76 may be secured to the inner surfaces of the clamping legs 68 and 70, and may be secured thereto in any suitable manner, as adhesively, or by means of rivets or screws 80.

In order to avoid the need for cotter pins or other fastenings for holding the pivot pin 40 in place with the assembly including the upper and lower clamp bodies 14 and 16, I prefer to provide means whereby the pivot pin 40 is held in position and holds the other members in their relative positions, without interfering with their pivotal movement on the pin 40. I provide a pair of recesses or grooves 82 and 84 in the surface of the pivot pin, these being cut out on a chord of the surface, and facing in the same directions, that is to say, upwards as seen in Fig ure 3. The recesses or notches 82 and 84 are formed inwardly of the inner surfaces of the ears 24 and 26, so that the lower clamp member 16, on being biased downwardly by the action spreading of the spring legs 52 and 54 pressing the walls 18 and 28 apart, has parts of the margins of the openings 46 and 48 of its ears 34 and 36 pushed downwards inside the locating and retaining notches 82 and 84 of the pivot pin 40. As a result, the pivot pin locks all these parts pivotally together, against displacement from each other in any direction and permits only pivotal movement about the pivot pin 40. As seen in Figure 3, when the user desires to take the clamp apart, all he or she has to do is to squeeze with the fingers in the directions of the arrows 90 and 92 as seen in Figure 3, which will bring the lower clamp wall to the dotted line position 94, lifting the lower clamp ears 36 and 34 out of engagement with the retaining notches of the pivot pin 40, and slide the pivot pin 40 axially out of the holes, so the whole thing comes apart for cleaning and inspection.

By thus bringing the holes in cars 34 and 36 into registry with the holes in ears 24 and 26, the pivot pin 40 is easily removed or inserted as needed.

The forward or leftward end of the clamping leg 68 has an extension flange 100, which is bent upwards at 102, as seen in Figure 2, and at a slight rearward inclination, to allow the lower thickened body portion 104 of the scraping and wiping member or blade 186 to be placed thereagainst. The extension flange 100 is made substantially as wide as the blade 106, and is thus as wide as the front retaining plate 108 which is placed in front of the blade body 104 as shown. Screws, bolts or rivets 110 penetrate the members 100, 104 and 108, as shown, to hold them securely together. The wiping blade member 106 is rather thick at the bottom, comparatively, and is progressively thinner and thinner at the top, being thinnest at its upper edge 112, and is formed preferably of rubber or rubber-like material, such as a relatively soft gum rubber which has a smooth outer surface, and at the same time is not too soft so as to be classed as sponge rubber. The rubber blade 106 may be made in a pure white color, or in some attractive other color, such as yellow, pink or the like. From Figure 1, it is seen that the side edges 114 and 116 of the blade 106 are substantially mutually parallel, but that its upper edge 112 is curved smoothly to fit the contour of the undersurface of a spoon, or the like, which is to be drawn thereover while in contact therewith, to scrape or wipe off any moisture, food, or fluid, such as soup or the like, which is thereon as when it is dipped into a bowl or plate 118 or 72.

In this manner, the diner or other person removes all excess fluid or food from the underside or edges of his or her spoon or other utensil, so that in lifting it to his mouth, there is no danger, as often happens, of a drop or two of the soup dripping onto his necktie, shirt, trousers, or the table, to soil them. Expensive cleaning bills are thus avoided, which oftentimes are unavailing, as the diner is at sea, or on a moving train, where cleaning service is either lacking, or not quickly available to meet the needs of the traveler. Further, some stains from some foods just are practically un-removable, and the garment or necktie must be discarded because of such accidental dripping. Using a relatively soft rubber for the wiper blade 106, permits it to yield somewhat to interfit with the contour of the entire underside of the spoon so that it is wiped clean. It is understood that I do not wish to be limited to any particular curvature of the curved edge 112 of the wiper blade, since various curvatures may be employed and supplied for use as needed, such as arcuate of varying radii, hyperbolic, and other geometric curves.

Referring now to Figure 5, here is shown a modified form of the invention, particularly adapted for use with deep rimmed bowls, such as soup bowls 118, and the like, and pots. In this form, the same construction is employed as in Figures 1 to 4, except for the mounting of the rubber wiper blade 106b, and the two rubber jaw blocks 74b and 76b. Here, the clamping finger 70b is bent upwards as at 130, and the rubber block 76b is secured thereto as shown, by screws b, adhesively, or otherwise. Similarly, the upper clamping finger 68b is provided with a downwardly extending wall 132, which is extended downwards parallel to wall when in the position shown in full lines, and then bent upwardly again as at 134 as shown. The body 104b of the rubber scraping blade 10611 is placed thereagainst, and is secured in place by means of screws 11% which also penetrate the retaining front plate 108b in the same manner as for Figure 2. The rubber block 74b is secured to the inner surface of tongue wall 132 either adhesively, or by means of screws or rivets, so as to permit the same to be engaged with the rim of a soup bowl, pot or the like 118, for mounting thereon for, permitting the diner, cook or serving person to wipe spoons and serving utensils of all excess food or fluid as needed. It is seen from Figure 5, that to open the jaws 74b and 76b wider, to engage a plate rim, it is only necessary to squeeze the squeezing fingers or levers 14 and 16 toward each other, the whole pivoting about the axis of pivot pin 40b under resilient bias from the same spring 50, as in Figures 1 to 4.

Referring now to Figures 6 and 7, it is seen that here is shown construction for swiveling the blade 1060 about a vertical axis. In this embodiment, the construction is the same as for Figures 1 to 4, except that the wall 100e, which in Figure 2 was shown at 100 as integral with web wall 18 of the upper clamp body, is here provided with an integral flange which extends at an angle to wall 100c and is supported on top of wall 180. The rubber jaw block 74c may be secured in position by a screw 152 having an internal head at its lower end, and penetrating wall and the flange 150 through holes as shown, with a wing nut 154 at the top to secure it in place, while permitting the assembly including the flange 150, wall 100e, blade 1060 and wall or plate 1080 to be swiveled about the axis of the bolt or screw 152,

form the position shown in full lines in Figure 7, to any other position, such as indicated by position lines 156 and 1:78, to suit the convenience and desires of the person using the device, so that the wiper blade 106c can be angularly oriented at will as needed.

Although I have described my invention in specific terms, it will be understood that various changes may be made in size, shape, materials and arrangement without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

As seen best in Figure 5, means may be provided for holding a spoon upon the device when not then in use. This may take various forms, but a preferred form is shown in this view. Thus a curved tongue or hook member 170 may be carried by or made integral with the wall such as at 68b, of upper clamp member 14, and extend outwardly therefrom, so that its end 172 is positioned conveniently to receive or engage with the outermost edge of the spoon bowl of a spoon, so that the axis of the spoon extends toward the right, slightly inclined, while its tip is hooked under the lip of the member 172 or 170, and this provides a temporary resting place for the spoon when not in use. This is convenient especially when soup is being served, either in a bowl, or from a pot, since in either event, the spoon is right there, ready for use, and will not slip off the table or stove. Also, it is not necessary to put it down on the table or other surface.

I claim:

1. A table device comprising clamp means including a pair of levers forming jaws for clamping a portion of a plate, pot or the like therebetween, resilient means acting upon said pair of levers for biasing them into clamping position, bracket means carried by said clamp means, utensil wiping means carried by said bracket means and constructed and arranged for wiping an under surface or side edge surface of an eating utensil, said utensil wiping means being pivotally secured to said bracket means, for turning about the axis of said pivot.

2. A table device comprising utensil wiping means, clamp means for engaging a plate, pot, kettle or the like, fastening means constructed and arranged for securing said utensil wiping means to said clamp means, whereby a utensil may be wiped while near said plate, pot, kettle or the like, or while using the same, said fastening means comprising a pivot carried jointly by said clamp means and said utensil wiping means, whereby said utensil wiping means may be dilferentially angularly oriented relative to said clamp means and hence to said plate, pot, kettle, or the like.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 830,763 Bradbury Sept. 11, 1906 1,622,058 Sohnle Mar. 22, 1927 1,750,845 Lach Mar. 18, 1930 2,500,032 Helberg Mar. 7, 1950 2,647,523 Vollender Aug. 4, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 837,457 Germany Apr. 28, 1952 922,525 France Feb. 3, 1947 

